Tiffany's Zermatt Ultra Marathon - Part 3

You may remember part 1 and part 2 of Tiffany Jolowicz's fundraising
journey, who took on the epic challenge of the Zermatt Ultra
Marathon on July 1st.

This is the third and final part of her story her own
words...

My training had been going according to
plan. Over 6 months I had increased my distances and
speeds, dropped 2 kilos, gained a two (out of 6 pack,) my quads
were becoming quite defined and I was on the cusp of feeling nearly
ready to tackle the Gornergrat mountain in Zermatt. Then
quite suddenly I found myself flat on my back, with a distended
stomach and the energy level of teenager on a Sunday
morning.

Four days in hospital later, countless
tests (not so pleasant,) I was diagnosed with Crohn's
Disease. Training was completely disrupted, my aerobic
fitness ran out the door and my muscles faded as I dropped another
3 kilos. So my new goal, maybe a tougher goal, after
consulting with the doctor, became the half marathon up the
Gornergrat. It is still a climb from 1616 metres above
sea level to 2585 metres above sea level.

I arrived in Zermatt on the Thursday
trying to give my body some chance at acclimatising. On
Friday I took the (free train, comes with the entrance fee,) up to
the top of the Gornergrat. I was 3,300 metres above sea
level. The views of the rugged mountains and icy glacier were
fantastic.

I decided to walk down the mountain
for an hour or so to get the feel of the terrain. There were
one or two stragglers doing the same as me but for the rest I was
alone. The wind was up and the clouds were moving swiftly
across the sky, hiding the Matterhorn. Then it started to
snow. I felt more like mountaineer than marathon
runner. Going down a mountain you are about to go up is a
good confidence-booster because it hides the aerobic challenge and
I was quite happy to avoid that feeling.

The race organisers were very generous
with my request only to run the half. The plan was to start
running at the half marathon point from the check-point where the
relay runners pass the baton. This meant I started in front
of the regular half marathon runners and alongside the fastest
relay runners, the fastest marathon and ultra marathon
professionals.

The crowd lined the main street all the way through
Zermatt. As I crossed the rubber timing mat maybe 20 runners
had run up the street ahead of me. I joined them. It
was too late in the game to change my starter number so I headed up
the street wearing an ultra marathoner red starter number.
The crowd assumed that I had already run 21.1 km and that I was the
leading lady ultra marathoner. As fresh as a daisy I ran
effortlessly up the street feeling like a complete fake but really
unable to stop and explain to my adoring crowd, that I had only run
200 metres.

The whole race was a little surreal because as I passed the
25 km mark then the 35 km mark the feelings of exhaustion I usually
experience at this point in a marathon were not there, seeing as I
was just tackling the half. It was a fantastic day, the
clouds had completely disappeared and everyone was in good spirits
as they took on the mountain.

I was not sure if my body would perform or crumble. I
did not know if the altitude would affect me, was not sure if my
inflamed ileum would let me down or not. In the end, I felt so
strong throughout. Wearing a huge smile on my face, I felt
privileged and happy to be running on behalf of my sponsors and the
Appeal. Many thanks to the Jane Tomlinson Appeal and
especially Jenny for all your encouragment and for the amazing work
you do.

A massive thank you to Tiffany for all of her hard work
and overcoming some massive challenges to raise in excess of £4,000
for the Appeal! You can continue to support Tiffany's challenge here.